What happened when I gave up drinking for 100 days

Considering a break from alcohol? Meditation teacher and former boozehound Rory Kinsella tells Coach what you're in for.

It’s nearing midnight on New Year’s Eve and I’m standing in a group around a fire on a beach in Mexico. We take it in turns to throw crumpled pieces of paper into the flames. Scribbled on them are things we want to leave behind in 2017.

Mine is “materialism”, but in hindsight should have been “drinking”. We all laugh as a larger-than-life Californian proudly says “pornography” as he throws his paper in the fire. This was unlike my usual New Year’s. By this time, I’m usually 20 drinks deep with a very long night ahead.

The beach ceremony was part of a week-long meditation retreat where the point was the turn away from the usual raucous shenanigans of NYE and instead indulge in some quiet reflection. There was also a strict no-alcohol, no-caffeine and only limited internet policy.

Social anxiety

One of the main benefits I’d found with drinking in the past was how it made me relax in social situations. I’d always have about half an hour of anxiety when arriving at an event until the first drink had kicked in.

What I found with not drinking was that the social anxiety was still there for the first half hour, but then magically it would go. Rather than it just being the alcohol that chilled me out, it was as if just acclimatising to the surroundings and chatting with a few people was enough.

Later, as others got more drunk and relaxed further, I’d be able to relax with them, benefitting from a group effect. On a boat party on Australia Day I found myself happily dancing away to Toto with everyone else having a great time – and felt fresh the next morning.

The main thing is that without saying anything you’re reminding people that alcohol actually has quite a few downsides, and that maybe they should rethink their relationship with it. They, of course, don’t want this reminder so try to get you to have a drink. They soon give up when they see you’re serious though.

Tip: If you can find someone to stop drinking with you, you’ll make things a lot easier for yourself.

‘You’re boring’

One worry I had beforehand was that I would become a social recluse to avoid temptation entirely. But I found the opposite happened – I’ve been going out more, not less.

Over the last year or so I realised I’d been avoiding social occasions so I didn’t have to drink. It wasn’t so much the drinking itself — although it had become less fun than it used to be, and I was even getting allergic reactions to some wines and beers. It was more that I couldn’t hack the hangovers anymore.

The benefits of giving up alcohol

No hangovers

The best benefit has definitely been reclaiming all the time wasted on hangovers. Not just the soul-sapping monsters, but also the seemingly mild ones that still manage to drain any extra energy and drive you might have been able to muster for the week.

Productivity

Without the weekly reset of having to physically recover from drinking, I found that my sense of wellbeing was much more even across the week. I was less likely to resist having to go back to work on a Monday and much more productive with both my work and spare time.

Saving money

Between drinks and cabs, a night out can cost a small fortune and as I wasn’t drinking I got to drive everywhere. Driving is another great tactic for not drinking as most people understand it’s not cool to pressure someone who’s driving to have a drink.

General health

Removing alcohol meant I was much more likely to make healthier eating choices across the week. Gone would be the three bad recovery meals on a Sunday and I’d be more likely not to miss regular exercise sessions.

Why 100 days?

On top of 100 being such a juicy and satisfying number, there is some reasoning behind it. The commonly quoted number of days to form a habit is 21, but this based on a misrepresentation of 1950s research that said it took at least 21 days to form a habit.

A 2009 study from University College London examined the habits of 96 people of a 12-week period. On average it took people 66 days to pick up a new habit — but in reality took participants anywhere from 18 to 254 days.

So taking the average of 66 days and adding a 50 percent margin for error leaves you at about 100 days.

What next?

On Day 100, April 10, a lot of people suggested a celebratory drink. But having got this far and enjoyed it so much, I’m not about to stop now. Just by getting back that one day a week from being hangover, I’ll have over 50 days a year back. That’s over seven weeks of reclaimed hangover time a year – just imagine what you could achieve with that!

All I have to do now is figure out what to throw in the ceremonial fire next year.